Justin
Gaethje will get to make his first pass at a major mixed
martial arts title in just his 11th professional appearance, as
opponent Richard Patishnock made the lightweight championship
limit on his second attempt.

Gaethje tipped the scales at 154.6 pounds in preparation to
challenge Patishnock (155) for the vacant
World Series of Fighting lightweight crown in the WSOF
8 main event on Saturday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and
Casino in Hollywood, Fla. However, Patishnock initially weighed in
four tenths of a pound heavy before returning approximately an hour
later and hitting the 155-pound mark. Light heavyweight
co-headliners Anthony
Johnson (204.8) and Mike Kyle
(205.6) also met their contracted weight requirements without
incident at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Anchored at the
Grudge Training Center, Gaethje wrestled collegiately at the
University of Northern Colorado. The 25-year-old Safford, Ariz.,
native has finished nine of his first 10 opponents, four of them
inside one round. Gaethje last fought at WSOF 6 in October, when he
knocked out Dan Lauzon
with second-round punches at the Bank United Center in Coral
Gables, Fla.

Patishnock -- who replaced the injured Lewis
Gonzalez on short notice -- will carry a two-fight winning
streak into the high-stakes matchup. The 26-year-old last competed
at WSOF 5 in September, when he captured a unanimous decision over
Gregor
Gracie at the Revel Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
Based out of Team Chamber MMA in Pennsylvania, Patishnock has also
spent time with the
AMA Fight Club, where he trained alongside Jim Miller,
Charlie
Brenneman and others.